Episode 183
Episode 183
Though it was absurd, Lee Han decided to tackle the immediate problem first.
If left unchecked, all three groups of students might end up in the detention room together.
Sure enough, the students from White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower had already spotted each other and were growling like beasts.
-"Who the hell are you? We got here first!"
-"What does 'first' even matter in something like this?!"
Lee Han sighed inwardly.
'What a bunch of amateurs.'
If you're going to steal something, you should act like a professional—keep your voices down and stay calm. Why are they bickering emotionally like this?
"Everyone, calm down."
Lee Han stepped forward to mediate.
"Gahk!"
"Th...thieves!"
The White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students reacted violently upon seeing Lee Han.
'Do they think they're not thieves themselves?'
Though Lee Han found it ridiculous, there was a reason the other tower students were startled.
He and his friends were dressed like proper thieves.
The White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students had merely tied scraps of cloth around their faces as makeshift masks—at a glance, it was hard to tell, but if you stared long enough, you could easily recognize who was who.
In contrast, Lee Han and his friends wore thoroughly prepared masks and cloaks, crafted from lessons learned through experience, Ratford's advice, and fabrics bought from outside.
...They looked so convincing that you wouldn't bat an eye if someone told you they were actual thieves from outside.
"Calm down. We're here for the same reason as you."
"W-Wardanaz?!"
'No. How did they know?'
Lee Han had deliberately altered his voice, so he was surprised they recognized him.
"Only Wardanaz would go this far to commit theft..."
"You're mistaken. I'm not Wardanaz."
He played dumb, but the other tower students didn't seem convinced. Half of them already looked certain. Lee Han felt unfairly accused.
"Listen. All of us gathered here have the same goal—to get inside this Alchemy Hall. Fighting each other will only draw unwanted attention."
At Lee Han's words, the other tower students nodded.
It was true—there was no point in fighting before even getting inside the Alchemy Hall.
"So let's cooperate."
"...Fine."
"Alright."
Though everyone agreed, the problem wasn't entirely resolved.
The collaboration between the three groups was just beginning.
"Who's going in first?"
"...We'll take the rear."
"Don't talk nonsense! Who said you could just take the rear?!"
The White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students immediately clashed again.
Since this involved entering a professor's workshop, being at the back was the most advantageous position.
"Quiet. I'll decide."
Lee Han spoke up, but the other tower students weren't so quick to accept.
"Who do you think you are, Wardanaz?"
"Why should we follow your orders? We agreed to cooperate, not become your underl—"
Lee Han raised his staff.
A chilling silence fell among the students.
"I'll decide."
"...F-fine."
"Just so you know, Wardanaz. We're agreeing not because of your threats, but because fighting here won't do any good."
Once the argument died down, Lee Han spoke again.
"We'll take the lead."
"!?"
Naturally, the other tower students were stunned.
Why?
"Are... are you sure?"
"Yeah. We're the only ones who know the way."
"......"
The other tower students stared at him in shock.
When the hell did these guys...?!
"You can decide the middle and rear positions among yourselves."
No sooner had Lee Han spoken than the White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students started arguing again.
Lee Han glared sternly and raised his staff.
"...Let's settle it with rock-paper-scissors."
"Rock-paper-scissors? Sounds good. Fine."
Lee Han and his friends were headed for the greenhouse on the second floor of the Alchemy Hall.
That was where the field of thistle flowers grew.
'The advantage is that we don't have to go up to the 3rd floor to solve this.'
The 3rd floor of the Alchemy Hall was like a maze to those unqualified.
Lee Han had come today with the confidence that they could quietly wrap things up on the 2nd floor.
"Eyes, pierce the darkness."
The dimly lit corridor of the Alchemy Hall's 1st floor turned green, revealing its hidden form to Lee Han.
"......"
The White Tiger Tower student didn't ask Lee Han where, when, or how he had learned the Darkvision spell.
If he was a Wardanaz, it was entirely possible.
After all, this was someone who had mastered every dark and forbidden secret even before enrolling...!
"Wait. But where exactly is the potion you guys are looking for?"
Lee Han stopped walking and asked.
Come to think of it, he should have accounted for the movements of the White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students as well.
"Somewhere... on the 1st floor, I heard."
"Probably somewhere on the 1st floor..."
"......"
Lee Han and Ratford exchanged a look of utter disbelief.
To come here with such careless preparation...
"Fine. If you lacked information, there was nothing you could do."
'They just looked at us like we were complete idiots, didn't they?'
"Then search the 1st floor. We'll head up to the 2nd."
"Right. We'll do that."
Lee Han and his friends nodded and distanced themselves from the students who had come inside.
As they climbed the stairs, a vast, familiar botanical garden greeted them.
Unlike last time, there was no raging mad bull, so the nighttime garden was far quieter and more peaceful.
"Nothing's happening, which is actually making me uneasy..."
"Tch. Don't jinx it."
Lee Han warned Nilia.
This quiet, peaceful conclusion was how things were supposed to go normally.
"There's the flowerbed."
The students swarmed in and began carefully digging up the thistle flowers.
Lee Han scanned the surroundings, preparing for any unforeseen situation.
'No Thunderstep Professor, no Willow Professor. Should be fine.'
"Everyone done? Let's get out of here!"
Lee Han and his friends clenched their fists and quietly swallowed their excitement.
Despite their tension, they had nearly pulled off the perfect job.
Ratford nodded knowingly.
The thrill of a flawless heist was something only those who had experienced it could understand.
Watching his friends grow from novice thieves was a source of immense pride for Ratford.
BANG!
"......"
But that joy vanished the moment they descended to the 1st floor.
A deafening noise, followed by chaos, erupted from both sides of the corridor.
'Are they insane?!'
"Th-these... these amateurs!"
Even Ratford stammered in shock. Lee Han quickly moved to assess the situation.
"What the hell are you all doing? Pull yourselves together!"
Despite Lee Han's shout, the students didn't listen.
They staggered around as if heavily drunk, throwing classroom chairs around.
CRASH!
"Did they drink something they shouldn't have?!"
"They can't be that stupid!"
No matter how amateurish the other tower students were at thievery, they wouldn't just recklessly drink anything.
Lee Han noticed a sickly sweet scent wafting from an open classroom door.
It wasn't an ordinary scent. It carried traces of mana.
At that moment, lightning struck Lee Han's mind.
"Everyone, hold your breath!"
"!"
Now that he thought about it, it was suspicious that potions like "Dance Like a Pro" or "Play Music Like a Maestro" were just lying around, ready to be taken.
And on the 1st floor of the Alchemy Hall, no less!
'Thunderstep Professor might have teamed up with another professor to set a trap!'
As absurd as it sounded, Lee Han's instincts screamed that it was highly possible.
This magic school was more than capable of such things.
Yoner, who had been listening, whispered in confusion, as if unable to comprehend.
"But... the thistle flowers didn't have any traps, did they?"
"...Maybe Professor Thunderstep forgot to set one..."
Lee Han spoke in a voice lacking confidence.
Truthfully, Lee Han found that the most puzzling part.
Why would they set traps for potions needed in other classes but not for the ones required in their own?
Could they have genuinely left them there to be taken?
The real answer was that no one would resort to theft when time was so tight, making them complacent—but Lee Han didn't realize that yet.
"Alright. Wardanaz. Let's just get out of here first."
Nilia spoke urgently.
Whether this was a trap or a mistake by other tower students, one thing was certain:
Staying here any longer wouldn't do them any good.
With all that commotion, who knew what might happen...
"No. We have to take them with us."
"Why, Wardanaz?"
Ashan asked in surprise.
Then, as if realizing something, he smacked his palm.
"I asked a stupid question. Honor—"
"If we leave them, they'll call out our names."
"...But there's still a bit of honor involved, right?"
Lee Han pretended not to hear Ashan's remark.
"First, we need to quiet them down."
"How do you plan to do that?"
Yoner looked puzzled.
The students were clearly intoxicated by the scent of frenzy or chaos. They were running wild, as if drunk.
In such a state, no words would reach their ears...
Thud! Thwack! Thud-thud-thud-thud!
"Done."
"......"
"But... how do you plan to get them out?"
Ratford asked with a deeply concerned expression.
Professional thieves had a rule: even if their comrades fell into a trap, they'd abandon them without hesitation.
If Lee Han went in to retrieve them now, he could get hurt too.
"I'll do my best. Just wait a moment."
Lee Han tied a rope around himself and prepared to hold his breath for as long as possible.
"If it looks like I'm in trouble, I'll knock myself out, so pull the rope to drag me out."
"Lee Han. Here's a curse-breaking potion. I don't know how effective it'll be, but..."
Yoner pulled a potion from his pocket and handed it over. Lee Han nodded gratefully and drank it.
"Alright. Going in."
Lee Han held his breath and opened the classroom door.
Then stepped inside.
"...!"
The moment he saw it, he understood what had happened.
From the magic circle set up in the center of the classroom, mana-infused smoke was continuously pouring out.
'So it was a trap after all.'
Lee Han walked forward slowly and forcefully disrupted the magic circle. Fortunately, it was easily destroyed.
'The smoke stopped!'
Now, all they had to do was ventilate the room and get everyone out...
At that moment, a mana reaction flared from the wall. A hidden magic circle revealed itself.
Lee Han cursed Professor Thunderstep.
'You crazy—!'
Poof!
Blue smoke enveloped Lee Han. Even holding his breath, the vile fumes seeped into his entire body.
Lee Han gripped his staff, ready to knock himself out if his condition worsened.
"...?"
But nothing happened.
Lee Han glanced around. Just in case, he even took a small breath of the lingering original smoke.
Still no effect.
It felt like something inside him was about to change... but then it just fizzled out?
"......"
With a bemused expression, Lee Han began dragging the students out one by one.
It was fortunate, but...
...Why did it feel so anticlimactic?
"The antidote worked!"
Ashan, watching from behind, lit up with excitement.
"I should go help. Maykin! Cover me!"
"Wait, we don't know for sure—"
Ashan took a swig of the potion and dashed into the classroom where Lee Han was.
Then his eyes started spinning.
"...Sorry, Ashan."
Lee Han knocked him out.
Thump!
Lee Han and his friends barely managed to toss the last student into the bushes.
They were all drenched in sweat, but for some reason, they felt oddly satisfied.
"...Good work, everyone."
"Yeah. Really..."
'Would it sound too bad if I suggested searching their pockets for compensation?'
"These brats wasted our time—can't we just take payment from their pockets?"
At Lee Han's words, Ratford looked at him with admiration.